PISCATAWAY — The past 24 hours could not have transpired worse for Rutgers

Embroiled in a developing off-field controversy, the Scarlet Knights didn’t manage much better on the High Point Solutions stadium turf Saturday, losing, 52-17, to Cincinnati.

All phases of the game appeared in dysfunction.

Their offense couldn’t gain traction. Gaping holes in the secondary mired Rutgers’ (5-4, 2-3) defense, which allowed a season-high 619 yards. Even its special teams couldn’t stop Cincinnati punter John Lloyd from picking up a makeshift first down.

Advertisement

“It does not shake my resolve,” said head coach Kyle Flood, whose team set a program record for most pass yards allowed in a season with three games left. “It does not cause me to question whether or not this football team is going to get better.”

Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1) head coach Tommy Tuberville pulled out all the stops. The Bearcats’ offense didn’t need much help, but wide receiver reverse passes and an onside kick cushioned a lopsided advantage.

Defensive coordinator Dave Cohen could only watch. Wearing a black zip-up jacket and a camouflage hat, the first-year play caller was implicated Friday via NJ.com in alleged verbal abuse and bullying of Jevon Tyree, a cornerback who recently quit the team.

Rutgers released a statement soon after, claiming Flood had reviewed the matter in the spring and resolved the issue with the Tyree family in conjunction with Athletic Director Julie Hermann.

Flood said he would refer only to the school’s statement.

Rutgers players said it was not a distraction. On this day, they didn’t need one.

“If you missed your assignment, they scored a touchdown,” linebacker Kevin Snyder said. “That’s what the story of that game was.”

Safety Lorenzo Waters’ misjudgment of a deep back-corner fade in the second quarter was a low point, but more lapses littered the team’s defensive performance. Rutgers’ linebackers again appeared ill-suited against slot receivers.

A patchwork group in the secondary again fell victim.

Rutgers hasn’t had the same group of corners available each week in more than a month. This time, it held out freshman Delon Stephenson, who started Nov. 2 against Temple, with an ankle injury.

“Obviously we’re working at it,” Snyder said. “We’re lacking depth in a lot of places, but you can’t fall back on that. You can’t say it’s youth’s fault because they practice, they understand the game plan.”

The loss to the Bearcats — the last team to score 20-plus points in the first quarter against Rutgers — comes full circle. Cincinnati ran with ease through a depleted Rutgers defense on Nov. 10, 2010, en route to 69 points.

Then-head coach Greg Schiano wouldn’t admit as much, but it led to wholesale changes on each level of Rutgers’ defense in the offseason, designed to infuse speed.

The Knights’ defense was in as poor shape Saturday.

“I don’t see this one game altering how we play defense,” Waters said. “It was a rough game, but I don’t see our scheme changing because of this game.”

About the Author

Tyler Barto is a 2013 Rutgers graduate and a Westampton, N.J., native. Reach the author at tbarto@trentonian.com
.